News & Views
NEWS & VIEWS - JANUARY 2007
Dec 26, 2006, 13:16
DRUG SLANG QUIZ
(October 30, 2006) The Menninger Clinic presented a quiz to educate parents as to what popular terms are being used by drug users. More...
COMPUTER ADDICTION CLINIC
(November 1, 2006) In an article posted on Contractor UK, a UK teen reports enrolling in a new clinic in Holland to treat addiction to computer games.
PROZAC FOR EIGHT-YEAR-OLDS
(November 12, 2006) The Sunday Times Online reviewed the UK controversy over drugs for children following a decision making Prozac prescriptions legal for children as young as eight years old.
CUTTING AS A SILENT SCREAM
(November 13, 2006) The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review talks about self-mutilitation as "A silent scream" by teens and adults who are emotionally numb and can't find the words to express their out-of-control emotions.
ONE-IN-SEVENTEEN REFERRED
(November 17, 2006) The Scotsman reported that one in seventeen Scottish youth have been referred to the authorities, twice as many as ten years ago.
VIDEO GAMES HAVE IMPACT
(November 19, 2006) NewKeral.com, an online publication in India, reports the results of a study by Vincent P. Mathews, MD, professor of radiology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, concluding "that teenagers who play violent video games show increased activity in areas of the brain linked to emotional arousal and decreased responses in regions that govern self-control.
HEROIN IS BACK
(November 19, 2006) The Houston Chronicle reports that heroin use is increasing among pre-teens, mostly in combination with cold medicine called "cheese."
DEATH AT NY PUBLIC FACILITY
(November 21, 2006) The Times Union in Albany, NY, reports a 15-year-old boy died shortly after being restrained in the public youth detention center.
TEEN BIRTHS DOWN
(November 22, 2006) The Washington Times reported preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which showed that although teen birthrate continues to decrease, the percentage of births by unwed mothers continues to increase.
INTERNET PROMOTES EATING DISORDERS
(December 4, 2006) In an article published in the American Academy of Pediatrics' Journal Pediatrics, a pilot study conducted by researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, found that children as young as 10 are learning new weight loss or purging methods from web sites that promote eating disorders.
ANTIDEPRESSANTS UP SUICIDE RISK
(December 5, 2006) The Food and Drug Administration reported the results of a study that concluded "Using antidepressants increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior among young adults but lessens it for seniors."
MARIJUANA: GATEWAY DRUG?
(December 5, 2006) PsychCentral reported a study by University of Pittsburg researchers that appeared in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry that questions the validity of the theory of "gateway" drugs. Instead, the study indicated that a general inclination for deviance from sanctioned behaviors was strongly associated with all illicit drug use.
COUGH SYRUP ABUSE RISING
(December 5, 2006) An article in Mercury News, a San Jose, CA newspaper, reported a new study that echoes federal studies, which found an increase in teens downing high doses of over-the-counter cough syrup or pills to get high.
SEX OFFENDER AND VICTIM
(December 6, 2006) A 13-year old Utah girl, who was considered a victim in the trial charging her 12-year old boyfriend for having sex with someone under age 14, was also judged guilty as an offender in her trial for the same act. The Utah Supreme Court is wrestling with the concept that the girl "would have the simultaneous status of a protected person and an alleged perpetrator under the law." More...
COMMUNICATION KEY TO SUCCESS
(December 8, 2006) According to a study by Paul Schrodt, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University and member of the National Communication Association (NCA), communication plays a large role in the development of and adjustment to stepfamilies. The research is featured on the NCA's online magazine "Communication Currents".
TEACHER QUALITY AND PAY ISSUES
(December 11, 2006) A report by the Center for American Progress indicates that while improving the quality of the teacher workforce presents educational policymakers with a tremendous opportunity to dramatically improve the educational achievement of America's students, there does not appear to be any specific credential or characteristic that is a silver-bullet predictor of quality.
SOLITARY DRUG USE DANGEROUS
(Dec. 11, 2006) The Rand Corp., a think tank in Santa Monica, CA, tracked 3,000 teens from California and Oregon from the 8th grade through age 23, and found that teens who drink, smoke and use drugs alone are at a much greater risk than those who do those activities in social settings.
CHILDREN DISCONTINUE ADHD MEDS
(December 15, 2006) According to a new study published in the Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, many children who are prescribed with ADHD medication stop using it even while they continue to exhibit symptoms.
TEEN DRUG USE DROPS
(December 20, 2006) According to a Press Release by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, www.mediacampaign.org, in Washington, DC, teen drug use declined 23 percent over the last five years.
NEW APPROACH TO PSYCHIATRIC CARE
(December 20, 2006) In the December issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, Kathleen R. Delaney, RN proposed a system of assessment and techniques for nurses and other healthcare providers treating children and adolescents with serious emotional illness. The article states that the last survey of mental health services for children indicated that some 285,000 children and adolescents are admitted yearly to inpatient psychiatric services. More...